Women's Basketball

CW basketball all-stars: International flavour highlights women’s first team

Feb 27, 2017

Evan Daum, Canada West Communications

Highlights:

Players from five different countries (Canada (8), United States (4), Australia (1), Latvia (1), and Spain (1)) were named Canada West all-stars for 2016-17

Regina Cougar Kyanna Giles highlights the conference’s all-rookie team, as the guard was the lone first-year player to also crack an all-star team (third)

Canada West’s women’s basketball major award winners will be announced Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. MT

The Canada West Women’s Basketball Final Four opens this Friday in Saskatoon at the Physical Activity Complex on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan

EDMONTON – With the CW Women’s Basketball Final Four slated to hit the hardcourt this weekend in Saskatoon, Canada West announced the 2016-17 women’s basketball all-stars and all-rookies Monday morning.

The conference’s first all-star team had a distinctly international flavour, as four countries – Canada, the United States, Latvia, and Australia – were represented among the five players.

Alberta’s Maddie Rogers and Regina’s Katie Polischuk are the home-grown talent on the squad, Antoinette Miller (Winnipeg Wesmen) of Phoenix, Arizona wears the stars and stripes, while overseas imports Sabine Dukate (Saskatchewan Huskies) of Latvia, and Aussie Maddison Penn (UBC Thunderbirds) also made the team.

Compared to last season’s first all-star team – which saw all five players in either their fourth, or fifth years of eligibility – this year’s top team is a relative youth movement, as both Dukate and Penn are second-year guards.

In addition to the three Canada West all-stars teams, the conference also unveiled its all-rookie team, which saw players from five different schools selected to the squad.

Headlining the all-rookie team is Regina Cougar Kyanna Giles, who was the lone conference rookie also named an all-star (third team).

The all-star and all-rookie teams were selected by the conference’s 17 women’s basketball head coaches, who also picked the Canada West major award winners, who will be unveiled Wednesday, March 1.

Six of the 15 all-stars and four of the five all-rookies hit the floor this weekend at the University of Saskatchewan, as the conference’s Final Four runs Friday and Saturday. Semifinal action opens Friday at 6:15 p.m. CT when the host Saskatchewan Huskies take on the Alberta Pandas, followed by the Winnipeg Wesmen taking on the Regina Cougars at 8:15 p.m. CT.